Starting life in the 1740s as the Westminster Journal, the newspaper had combined by January 1813, with the Imperial Weekly Gazette, and the longer title: Westminster Journal and Imperial Weekly Gazette. From January 1814, the titles were reversed to be: Imperial Weekly Gazette and Westminster Journal.
For issue number 3997, 3 January 1818, the circulation note underneath the banner reads:
"Circulating through Westminster, the City, and Borough of Southwark on FRIDAY afternoon; and delivered in every principal City, Town and County, within 120 miles of London."
The publication note reads: "(issued each) Saturday morning - (the newspaper) Established seventy five years and universally patronised."
Each front page has a duty stamp (of four pence?). by this time, regular articles included a front page Editorial, Parliament Poetry, Religion, Law, Crime, Theatre, Foreign Intelligence, letters to the Editor.
On Page 4 of issue no. 3999, 17 January 1818, the advertisement for Atkinson's Fluid for the Growth of Hair, praised its efficacy in florid verse.
An eye-catching puff for Turner's Inestimable Blacking, is in an 'Acrostical Code'. It appeared in issue no. 4017, 23 May 1818, page 3. The verse is of mediocre quality, but it certainly catches the attention.
Editorials were frequently on the front page, often
on religious/ moral topics, such as: “Effects of the Crusades on the Morals and
Manners of Europe” (21 November 1818); or, “On the Contemplation of the Supreme
Being (3 April 1819); or, “On the Fallacy of Human Enjoyment” (17 July 1819).
However, the paper did criticize the clergy of Durham for not ringing
church bells, to respect for the death of Queen Caroline (24 November 1821).
The arrest of Mr. (Richard) Carlile was reported in
issue no. 4025 (28 August 1819) for “…the publication of a seditious libel in a
pamphlet called Sherwin’s Political Register, …For an article entitled: “.. a
letter to Lord Sidmouth, calling on his Lordship to bring to justice the
Yeomanry Cavalry and Magistrates of Manchester, for the murders committee by
them at the late meeting of that place…” ( i.e. the ‘Peterloo massacre’).
It took two months for the news of Napoleon’s
death, on 7 May 1821, to reach Europe. The matter of his last illness and death were detailed in the 7 July issue,
in a ‘Postcript’ column.
The popularity of Queen Caroline was reflected in the
many columns of coverage of her last illness and death (11 August 1821); and of
her funeral procession (18 August 1821.
From the tone of many articles, the paper saw
itself as enlightened, but from the point of view of an essentially upper class
outlook. Conservative in spirit, it reported weekly foreign news and domestic
crime in much detail, the paper continued in this manner for many years.
The 'Museum Britannicum'/ British Museum octagonal stamp is on the front page of issue 3997, 3 January 1818. It is likely that this stamp was applied only to the first issue in this bound volume.
There are multiple 'Museum Britannicum'/ British Museum stamps listed in:
Libraries within the library: the origins
of the British Library's printed collections / edited by Giles Mandelbrote and Barry
Taylor. (2009), Appendix I: Identification of Printed Books acquired by the
British Museum, 1753-1836, Stamping Dies and Inks, General Stamps.
Stamp type [I e], page 418, seems a good fit with the one stamped on issue no. 3997.
Stamp type [I e], page 418, seems a good fit with the one stamped on issue no. 3997.
The British Museum was not known at this date to acquire recently published newspapers, either by copyright or by purchase. However, the purchase of issues of this title remains a possibility.
Evidence of this kind offers some insight into the early times of newspaper acquisition by the BM, even if the origin of the acquisition is not fully explained.
Edmund M B King
October 2018.
